Panjim, February 13, 2025: Goa Forward Party (GFP) President and MLA Vijai Sardesai launched a scathing attack on the Pramod Sawant-led BJP government, accusing it of misusing criminals to defame and malign vocal opposition leaders. Speaking at a press conference in Panjim today, Sardesai responded to shocking revelations made by notorious land grab accused Suleman Siddiqui, who admitted in an interview with Prudent Media that the Goa Police had forced him at gunpoint to make multiple videos falsely accusing opposition MLAs, including Sardesai and AAP leader Amit Palekar.
Setting the record straight, Sardesai categorically stated that he has never met, spoken to, or had any connection with Siddiqui. “I only know of this individual through media reports. Yet, he was used to target me and other opposition leaders simply because we exposed the BJP government’s Cash-for-Jobs scam. This is not my claim—it is what he himself has revealed,” he said.
Sardesai further pointed out that his consistent efforts to expose the Cash-for-Jobs scam, even inside the Goa Assembly, made him a target. “I held placards about the scam during the Governor’s address. It is clear that anyone who speaks against the scam is immediately targeted using shady elements and criminals,” he added.
The GFP leader also expressed shock that parts of the media appeared unfazed by Siddiqui’s baseless allegations. “When he falsely named me in his statements, it should have shocked any responsible journalist. But it was treated as just another news story, as if such things are normal,” he said. Sardesai urged the media to take a firm stand against political vendettas using criminals and not allow such tactics to be normalized.
Drawing from his 35-year-long political career, Sardesai remarked that while opposition leaders have been falsely arrested in the past, this is the first time criminals are being used to attack elected representatives. He warned that if this becomes a precedent, it will be used routinely to silence dissent. Quoting a Konkani proverb, he cautioned: “Aiz Maka, Falyan Tuka” (Today it’s me, tomorrow it will be you).
Sardesai also highlighted Siddiqui’s revelation that his escape and recapture were part of a staged ploy to distract from the Cash-for-Jobs scam. “This means the entire drama of Suleman’s escape and re-arrest was orchestrated by the government itself. What more proof does one need to see that the system is compromised?”
Sardesai placed the blame directly on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, calling him the mastermind behind the character assassination of opposition MLAs. He noted that immediately after he raised the Cash-for-Jobs scam in the Assembly, the CM fabricated the so-called ‘Fatorda to London scam’ to attack him. However, an official Assembly LAQ response has confirmed that no such investigation or scam exists.
The GFP leader did not hold back in his criticism of the Goa Police, questioning its integrity. “This is the same police force that takes hafta (bribes) from land grabbers and helps goons evict real landowners. The same police shield accused in the Cash-for-Jobs scam, while letting criminals like Suleman ‘escape’ from unauthorized custody cells,” he said.
He further warned that Suleman could be forced to change his statement again, retracting his confession under pressure from the government. “Who is responsible for ensuring the truth comes out? The DGP? The Home Minister? Why is the Home Minister silent on this issue?”
Sardesai also exposed an alleged secret social media unit in Panjim, where BJP cyber teams systematically target opposition leaders, party presidents, and even their own ministers when needed. “This will become a regular feature unless the media, as the fourth pillar of democracy, takes a strong stand and exposes these tactics,” he warned.
Concluding his press conference, Sardesai announced that the Goa Forward Party will formally write to the Governor of Goa and, if necessary, escalate the matter to the Union Home Minister. “Someone must be held accountable for this disgraceful abuse of power, and that person is Goa’s Home Minister,” he declared.
Issuing a final warning, Sardesai stated that Goa’s democratic fabric is being ripped apart by these political conspiracies. “If we allow this to continue, Goa will not remain Goa. We are witnessing the slow death of democracy in the state,” he concluded.
